The Perfect Catch
by Lina Skye
Summary: This is a story inspired by 'that bounty hunter' that changed Han's mind @ Echo Base! I hope you enjoy this tale of adventure for Luke!
1. Chapter 1

SUMMARY NOTE: Takes place right after "A New Hope". This is inspired by the comment that Han Solo made at Echo Base regarding him leaving the rebellion.... 'that bounty hunter at Ord Mantell changed my mind...'   
  
This is the story that tells how Han and the gang was 'persuaded' in such a way..........................   
  
NOTE: *....*means character though  
//....//means telepathic messages/ message sent through the mind (duh....lol)  
~*~*~*~*~*means dream/flashback  
  
((....))means my own thoughts on whatever-freaky-twist-of-plot-unravels!!!  
  
Thanks to warrior_princess4 for helping me on the mild humor in this fic! It is greatly appreciated, considering all I really do is angsty stuff  
.....  
Dramatis Personae:   
  
Luke: enough said....a sexy Jedi...GL's character  
Han: need I elaborate? A hot smuggler....GL's character  
Leia: why must I go on.....GL's character  
  
Elise: a bounty huntress who is out for the 'perfect catch.' She later finds out that there is more to life than the chase.  
  
X: Elise's pet/partner....he is a large, muscular, wolf-like dog! He has body of a wolf, yet the heart of a puppy...a very wolfish, mean puppy at times...  
  
Mud: Elise's Astromech droid/ copilot which is usually dirty and smeared with mud from one planet or another....needless to say, that is where the droid got it's name!  
  
  
The Perfect Catch  
  
  
Ch. 1  
  
  
"Hey, Luke! When do you think her worshipfulness's gonna be ready? We've been waiting for the past 3/4ths of the hour,"Han asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.   
  
As he and Luke sat there, waiting for Leia to be ready, Han wished for the third time that day that his friend Chewbacca were there with him. He banished the thought from his mind once again.  
  
The Imperial authorities would have found it rather suspicious to see a 7 foot tall Wookiee strolling through the streets of Ord Mantell.  
  
Luke arched an eyebrow. "Well, Han, what do you expect? She's a woman. They typically do this kind of thing..."  
  
Just then, Leia burst through the door, clad in formal, diplomatic dress. They had a meeting with the underground Rebellion officials of Ord Mantell in less than 10 minutes.   
  
"It's about time...."Han began, but was cut off by a withering look from Leia.   
  
The three rebels rushed out of their quarters towards their meeting place.   
  
* * * * * * * * *   
  
The bounty hunter looked at the chronometer. The meeting of the rebels should be ending any time now........any time now.   
  
The bounty hunter rechecked the calculations that had been so carefully plotted out from earlier. Yes, everything was in order.   
  
The rebels should be exiting the building in ....  
  
3.....  
  
2.......  
  
1.....  
  
Now.   
  
The bounty hunter picked up her sniper rifle. She aimed carefully at the door. The door opened and she fired.   
  
* * * * * * * * *   
  
Han froze as a blaster bolt pinged off the wall right where his head had been only moments ago. With a short cry of panic, all three rebels scrambled for cover.   
  
As the bounty hunter watched the rebels dive for protection from the unseen assault, she could only curse herself for missing that easy target.   
*how in the world did I miss that one? It was so easy......he was sitting there like a completely inebriated ewok on a spice freighter!!*  
  
Luke looked around, drawing his lightsaber. Leia pulled her holdout blaster pistol out, ready for another attack. Han grabbed his blaster, completely aware of every movement around him.   
  
The bounty hunter on the roof gave a small, weary sigh as she saw her target arming himself. Oh well, there went the easy job. The chase would begin now. Yet she would win, as usual. She always got her catch. Resistance, in the end, was futile.  
  
The Empire was offering a large reward for the one called Skywalker, therefore, she went for the job. Vader had even hired her personally. Nothing was like a nice chase to raise the spirits of a bounty hunter.   
  
Later, if all went well, she could consider returning for Solo's bounty, yet nothing was set in stone, yet.  
  
The bounty huntress slipped on her helmet, concealing the dark curls that fell around her shoulders and down her back. Her icy blue eyes flashed with a thrill of determined excitement.   
  
Let the chase begin.   
  
* * * * * * * * *   
  
"What was that?"Han asked when no further shots came.   
  
Luke shrugged. Their attacker was nowhere to be seen. In fact, they did not even know where their attacker had come from in the first place. "I have no idea,"he replied, his gaze searching intently for a suspicious looking figure.   
  
Leia glanced at her two companions. "Well, Han, I thought that would be blatantly obvious! We were under attack........  
Well................I suppose we should go. I don't see any danger and we have to leave. If we stay any longer past our limit on the docking bay we have, the Stormtroopers will begin to suspect us of something, considering that we are wanted,"Leia pointed out, her voice laced with sarcasm.   
  
They arose cautiously from their cover.....................  
  
* * * * * * * * *   
  
The bounty huntress picked up a small smoke grenade. The rebels stood and began to walk down the street warily.   
  
The huntress allowed herself a predatory smile. They would not get far.   
  
Then, she tossed the smoke grenade into the crowded streets of Ord Mantell.   
  
* * * * * * * * *   
  
Mass panic suddenly ensued around Han, Luke, and Leia as an explosion rocked the ground. Smoke filled the air.   
  
As the crowd seemed to thicken along with the air, the rebels were pushed—or thrown, rather—apart. Han grabbed Leia's wrist, determined to protect the sarcastic ex-princess. When he looked up, he saw that Luke was nowhere to be found.   
  
As the crowd began to run in a chaotic flood, Luke was drug across the street from his friends, swept away in the tide of bodies. He pressed himself into an alley to wait out the panicked crowd.   
  
A small danger warning went off in the back of his mind. His untrained use of the Force was practically screaming that something was wrong. Suddenly, a boot connected with the back of his head.   
  
Luke fell with a soft thud to the alley floor, spots dancing before his eyes. He rolled swiftly to his feet, lightsaber lit in hand. A black clad figure was but a blur in the corner of his vision as the person maneuvered quickly to get behind him   
  
The figure leapt from behind, swinging the butt of their blaster rifle at his head. Luke whirled just in time. The lightsaber swung at the slender figure.  
  
Sharpened reflexes were the only thing that kept the frame of the attacker from being bisected. The lightsaber raked itself across the figure's ribcage, grazing their side.  
  
The figure hit the ground hard, somersaulting to their feet. They drew a vibroshiv and threw it. Luke ducked, realizing all too late that the vibroshiv was a distraction.   
  
The butt of his attacker's blaster rifle connected hard with his jaw, sending him falling to the alley floor in a flash of pain.   
  
The last thing he heard before darkness enveloped his vision was the soft words of his attacker.   
  
"Heh....loser..."  
  
* * * * * * * * *   
  
The bounty huntress looked down at her target, who was now unconscious on the alley floor. She knelt next to him, inspecting the bruise that was spreading across his jawline. Nothing major. The rebel would just wake up with a splitting headache.   
  
She took a deep breath, pushing past the burning pain in her side. She picked up his lightsaber and clipped it to her own belt.  
  
She hauled his limp form up over her shoulder, grunting from the effort of holding someone who weighed more than her.   
  
*Dang....this guy's heavier than a bantha........*she thought cynically, then turned her thoughts to the task at hand. She had to get Skywalker to her ship before his comrades saw and the smoke cleared.   
  
The bounty huntress stepped out into the streets under the cover of the smoke.   
  
* * * * * * * * *   
  
Han squinted through the smoke. A figure clad in black was jogging at a fairly good speed with something slung over their shoulder.   
  
That something looked oddly familiar.....................  
  
LUKE!  
  
Han grabbed Leia's arm, dragging her with him as he sprinted out across the street towards the unidentified figure who was hauling Luke away.   
  
The figure turned as they heard the footsteps pressing heavily behind them. They keyed in some commands into their commlink. Suddenly, the roar of a ship filled the air. The ship, a J- type Nubian, hovered above the ground, flying towards the slender frame of Luke's captor.   
  
Han sped his pace up, desperately trying to aid his unconscious friend. Still, the smuggler's efforts were in vain as the figure threw Luke up onto the ramp of the ship, pulling themselves up onto the ramp after them.   
  
Han watched in dismay as the ship took off, leaving Ord Mantell along with his friend.   
  
* * * * * * * * *   
  
The bounty huntress pulled herself into the ship, closing the ramp behind her. She ran up to the cockpit, steering the ship off of it's autopilot and out of the atmosphere of Ord Mantell.   
  
She was about to put the ship into hyperspace to Coruscant, but stopped as she heard a small siren going off. Her hyperdrive was broken, once again. She glanced down at her astromech droid, Mud.   
  
"Mud, the hyperdrive is busted yet again......so, I need you to pilot us to Coruscant. I don't trust that stupid autopilot to go long distances, therefore, I entrust you with the job. Alert me if anything happens,"she said.   
  
When the dirty green droid beeped an affirmative reply, she walked back into the passenger cabin of her ship where her latest 'catch' was laying there, in a state of semi- consciousness.   
  
The bounty huntress picked up some binders, securing her prey. She drug the half- conscious rebel up onto a bunk. "X? Get me the medical kit,"she called.   
  
A few moments later, a large, wolf-like dog emerged from another passenger cabin, a medical kit in it's mouth. The dog growled, it's gray eyes flashing with curiosity as he prodded his master's latest victim with the tip of his nose.   
  
"X, bad boy......No, you cannot eat him,"the bounty huntress replied sternly to her pet/partner's growl.   
  
The dog whimpered slightly with distaste, then laid down beside the bunk. The bounty huntress picked up a pack of ice and pressed it to Luke's head. Upon feeling the cold touch, Luke's consciousness jumped to tangibility.   
  
"What? Where.....?"Luke questioned, disoriented. His head throbbed horribly, making it difficult to form coherent sentences. Luke opened his eyes. His vision swam for a moment, then focused. A black clad figure sat next to the bunk he was laying on. A helmet covered the figure's head and face. "Who are you?"  
  
The bounty huntress turned and looked at Luke. She pulled her helmet off, her black curls cascading down her back. Silver and blue streaks ran in various places through the dark mane of hair, catching the light as the tresses dropped from their prison.   
  
"That, Skywalker, is not important...but if you must know, I am Elise,"the huntress replied, her icy blue gaze studying her most recent 'victim'.   
  
Luke nodded, wincing at the pain the small movement caused. "Why am I here?"  
  
"That, Skywalker, is also an irrelevant question, considering that you will find out soon enough.....but since I feel that I should indulge you, you are destined for Coruscant. You are something of a wanted man by that creepy twit Darth Vader,"Elise explained, stroking the dog at her feet absently.   
  
Luke would have smiled in amusement at the description of Darth Vader that the bounty hunter gave, yet the circumstances were too serious for that. The young woman standing before him was leading him to his death, not entertaining him.   
  
Elise stood, patting her pet on it's head. "Well, Skywalker.......most bounty hunters use drugs to transport their catches through long space voyages, yet I dislike that tactic. I will leave you without the influence of such paralyzation injections if you make no attempt to escape.  
If you do make an attempt at escape, you realize it will be in vain.....it will only harm you. My dog, X, will make sure that you get no further than the door of the passenger cabin.   
When you fail, I will then put you under the influence of some horrible drug. Got it?"Elise warned, moving towards the door.   
  
Luke nodded his understanding mutely. He looked down at the potentially menacing looking animal on the floor. The dog growled softly in response to his stare. Luke sighed and leaned back against the bunk.   
  
This was not good....not good at all.  
  
  
*********************************  
  
  
Hey, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review!   
  
REVIEWS ARE LIKE OXYGEN...ALL I NEED IS REVIEWS..lol...anywayz.....  
  
If you have any questions on characters.....please ask! Any comments? REVIEW! Lol.....  
  
Signing out for now,   
Lina Skye 


	2. Chapter 2

NOTE: *....*means character though  
//....//means telepathic messages/ message sent through the mind (duh....lol)  
~*~*~*~*~*means dream/flashback  
  
((....))means my own thoughts on whatever-freaky-twist-of-plot-unravels!!!  
  
  
  
Ch. 2  
  
  
Luke opened his eyes as he heard movement in the room with him. His captor was there, searching for the medical kit she had used on his head injuries earlier.   
  
Something was different about her, though. Her skin had paled slightly, her brow dotted with a thin sheen of sweat. Though her face was a mask of neutrality, her movements betrayed the fact that she was in pain.   
  
Luke could hear her cursing herself under her breath.   
  
"Stupid, stupid ......should've taken care of myself earlier..."  
  
Elise picked up the medical kit and collapsed down onto a chair. With shaking hands, she pulled away the thin armored vest and pulled her shirt up, revealing a painful looking lightsaber burn. She winced as she looked upon her injury, the put her shirt back in place.   
  
"That looks painful,"Luke said softly as he saw her wound.   
  
Elise looked up and arched an eyebrow. "Well, considering that you were the one who inflicted it upon me, I would say you would know the extent of the pain.....but, I don't blame you for doing this. Any sane person would fight if they were about to be captured......though you should have realized that resistance was futile,"Elise said, her tone thoughtful, as if merely discussing the weather.   
  
"It wasn't futile.....it just wasn't very effective,"Luke murmured, unwilling to concede defeat.   
  
The conversation ceased as Elise busied herself with trying to cleanse her wound. Every now and then, Luke would hear her soft exclamations of "ouchies.." or "Sith, there has to be a better way to heal..."  
Yet underneath the humorous sounding exclamations, Luke could sense the pain and the possible fever of an infection that had begun to assault the bounty huntress.   
  
"Here, let me help,"Luke blurted, moving forward. Where did that come from? Why was he going to help the woman that had imprisoned him? Luke shrugged mentally. He was a Jedi. Jedi were taught that all life is valuable.....  
  
Luke froze as the snarl of X, Elise's 'dog', rose to his ears. The dog growled menacingly as Luke had begun to make his way towards Elise.  
  
"Down, X,"Elise reprimanded, then looked curiously over at Luke. "Why would you want to help me?"  
  
"Because I am a Jedi,"Luke answered without hesitance, then added, "and also because it is the right thing to do. You're hurt."  
  
"A Jedi? Really now? Forgive me for ever capturing you,"Elise began, her voice tinged with sarcasm. Then, her tone softened, "Because it's the right thing to do.......I wish all explanations were that simple to give,"she murmured to herself.   
  
Luke moved forward despite the growls of X. He stepped over and knelt next to her chair, ignoring the rather insistent pounding of his head. Then, as soon as he had begun to aid Elise in bandaging and cleaning her wound, her commlink beeped.   
  
Elise stood, pushing her shirt back into place. She strode over to the holo console and answered. A scaled down figure of Darth Vader appeared before her.   
  
Luke listened intently as the conversation unfolded between the employer and the huntress.   
  
"Do you have Skywalker yet?"Vader asked, his mechanized breathing echoing loudly through the passenger cabin.   
  
Elise nodded. "Yes, Lord Vader. Though we will be late in returning to Coruscant. My ship has had some recent problems with it's hyperdrive. I should arrive within about...... 2 weeks,"Elise said, trying to keep a straight, neutral face even as her side burned horribly.   
  
"Make sure he is returned to me unharmed, Bounty huntress. I want him in perfect condition,"the Sith snapped.   
  
Elise rolled her eyes. "Okay. I get it. Your golden boy will be in peak condition by the time he sets foot on your planet!" Elise's control was beginning to crumble as the Sith stretched the conversation longer.   
  
"It is best you learn your place,"Vader said angrily, then ended the transmission.   
  
Elise walked back over to her chair and pulled the medical kit out once again. "Come here, Skywalker. You heard what Darth Breaths-a-loud wants,"Elise said, her voice laced with sarcasm as she was forced to ignore her own injuries and tend to her bounty's.   
  
Luke arched an eyebrow, but obeyed. He sat there, allowing the injured bounty huntress to clean the gash on his forehead. A long, dark bruise traced his jawline, but she could do nothing more than put ice on that.   
  
"I know there is some good in you. I can feel it. You don't want to turn me over to my death,"Luke said, abruptly breaking the silence. In actuality, Luke had no idea as to whether the bounty hunter felt that or not. He was just taking a wild guess, judging by her demeanor.   
  
Elise raised an eyebrow, amusement in her features. "Really? Is that so? What else do you feel?"  
  
Luke closed his eyes briefly, concentrating. He reached out with the Force, probing........  
"I sense that you are hurting. Your wound has the beginnings of infection in it, making a slight fever which will more than likely spike in a few hours,"Luke said.   
  
Elise gave a small smile, nodding. "Good job, Skywalker. If it weren't for one thing, you would be completely right......."  
  
Luke shot her a quizzical look.   
  
"I am going to turn you over to Darth Vader. And that, my little Jedi, as of now, is final."  
  
Luke nodded. Well, it had been worth a try.   
  
* * * * * * * * *   
  
Luke looked over at his bounty huntress 'traveling companion'. The young woman shook slightly, but was able to keep her shivering under control due to years of battle-hardened nerves. She had treated her wounds earlier, but it had been a little late for that. Infection had already set in.   
  
Once Elise had returned to the passenger cabin shed of her armor, in black form-fitting clothes, combined with the slight trembling she had been gripped with since her fever had spiked, Luke had seen how truly small his captor was.   
  
Elise ran a hand over her burning forehead. She needed rest, yet that was something she could not get while on the job. She had to guard Skywalker, or else. If Skywalker escaped while she was attempting some rest, then Vader would literally have her hunted down.   
  
She allowed herself a small sigh. *This is the last job I will take....after this, then I'll stop hunting once and for all.....*  
  
"Are you all right?"Luke suddenly asked, interrupting her thoughts. Though the young woman before him had captured him and intended to turn him over to Vader, she had not treated him badly. That matter in itself made Luke grateful.   
  
Elise drug her eyes open. Her head pounded with the effort of focusing her vision, much less thinking enough to form words. *This isn't an infection......it can't be....no infection hurts this bad.......I wonder if this is that virus that was going around on Ord Mantell......the Miocitian Virus....?*Elise's thoughts were jumbled and barely coherent, but the thought that she had contracted the illness pushed her mind back into reality.   
  
"Huh?"she managed  
  
"That doesn't look like a normal infection,"Luke commented.   
  
Elise shook her head. "No poodoo Sherlock............Miocitian virus,"Elise said, struggling to form the words.   
  
Luke nodded. The sickness Elise said rang a bell in the back of his mind. Yes....he, Han, and Leia had spent weeks before their journey being vaccinated for the horrible virus before arriving on Ord Mantell. Luke stifled a sigh of relief. Well, at least he was immune to it.   
  
The relief faded as he saw the condition of the bounty huntress . Elise's eyes had closed and her breathing was now coming in short, shallow pants.  
  
Luke stood, moving towards the escape pods of the ship. His guard, X, ignored him, taking a concerned position at Elise's side. Luke punched the coordinates in on the escape pod and prepared to board.   
  
Then, a low moan of pain reached his ears. He turned to see Elise crumpled on the floor, clutching her middle. A sudden coughing fit overtook her. A small trickle of blood leaked from the corner of her mouth. As the coughing fit ended, she sobbed for breath.   
  
Luke looked at the sight of the ill bounty huntress. Without care, she would die alone on her ship. Luke silently cursed himself and walked back over to her collapsed form. He pulled her violently trembling frame into his arms and laid her down on a bunk, pulling a blanket over her.   
  
* * * * * * * * *   
  
Luke pressed a cold cloth to Elise's forehead, trying to keep her fever down. It had been hours since she had lost consciousness. For those hours, Luke had sat by her, trying to bring her fever down with the Force and with cold compresses and medication.   
  
Earlier, Luke had tried to get the Astromech droid piloting the ship to make a pit stop, but the droid's devotion to Elise's earlier commands was unwavering. Therefor, they stayed on the same course to Coruscant.   
  
As Luke sat at Elise's bedside, he wondered what he was doing. The opportune time of escape had arisen, yet he turned it down to take care of the person who was responsible for his capture in the first place! But.....his instincts told him to stay.   
  
Besides, it would be just cruel to leave the huntress alone to die in agony.   
  
Suddenly, Elise's hand tightened over his. Her eyes, which were usually icy and intent, were bright and glazed with fever as they opened.   
  
"Wha.....What happened?"Elise asked in a weak voice, trying to sit up.   
  
Luke turned, gently soothing Elise, who was near a dazed panic. "You're sick. It seems that you have the Miocitian Virus. You should feel better in a few days,"Luke replied. Luke pushed her back down, not wanting her to exert herself in such a sickly state.   
  
"The virus is deadly,"Elise pointed out, her mind beginning to wake enough to form a sentence.   
  
Luke paused for a moment. Yes, it was true that the Miocitian Virus usually killed it's host within the first 24 hours. If the ill being lasted through the first 24 hours, the virus was no longer deadly.   
"It's only deadly in the first day. All you have to do is stay reasonably conscious and well during that time, then you'll be fine,"Luke assured.   
  
Elise nodded. The pounding in her head was returning and her body ached horribly, especially her lungs and stomach. Her eyes began to drift shut as the darkness beaconed her.   
  
Luke nudged Elise as he saw her eyes close. Elise's eyes opened once again, yet much more wearily this time.   
  
"So.....how old are you?"Luke asked, trying to find some means of keeping the sick bounty huntress conscious.   
  
Elise arched an eyebrow. "I'm 21...though sometimes I feel so that I am 900."  
  
Luke gave a small smile. "Yea, I'm 23 and it sometimes feels as though I'm ancient, with the weight of the world on my shoulders."  
  
"I would guess so....with you being a major part of a rebellion against a government and being wanted for Sithly prices by the Empire, I would guess you would feel like that at times,"Elise remarked, a small spark in her pale blue gaze.   
  
Luke shrugged. "Well, the same could go for you, with you continuously hunting someone or another. You seem so young to be a bounty hunter,"Luke said, the inquiry coming to mind.   
  
Elise's gaze became distant for a moment, then cleared. "Well, Skywalker. Some things happen in peoples lives that change everything in a split-second. One minute you are at home in a place, the next, you feel that no place is ever home. It all depends on how you handle it.   
I handled it by becoming a bounty hunter,"Elise replied, her voice almost sad as memories of the past surfaced in her mind.   
  
"How long have you been a bounty hunter?"Luke asked.   
  
"For 3 years. It has been three years since my world was turned upside down...."Elise's voice trailed off as her eyelids drooped.   
  
Luke froze. Three years ago................................  
  
Three years ago, the Death Star had blown up.   
  
Three years ago, Alderaan was destroyed.   
  
"You lived on Alderaan?"Luke inquired.   
  
Elise gave a slight nod. Luke put his hand on her forehead, nudging her into sleep. A little rest could do no harm.   
  
Luke the was left alone to contemplate the depth on the life of the Alderaanian bounty huntress he shared a passenger cabin with................  
  
*****************  
  
PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed!!!!!  
  
Signing out for now,  
Lina Skye 


	3. Chapter 3

NOTE: *....*means character though  
//....//means telepathic messages/ message sent through the mind (duh....lol)  
~*~*~*~*~*means dream/flashback  
  
((....))means my own thoughts on whatever-freaky-twist-of-plot-unravels!!!  
  
  
  
Ch. 3  
  
  
"You would make a great father if you decided to live through this war of yours,"Elise commented weakly.   
  
Luke arched an eyebrow, "Thanks....I think.....why do you say that?"  
  
Elise propped herself feebly up on her elbows. She tilted her head to one side as if the answer were obvious.   
"Well...for one thing, you have a natural tendency to care for someone...no matter what that person has done to you. Either that...or you are completely insane......  
And........judging by your own appearance, you would have very beautiful children."  
  
Both of Luke's eyebrows shot up that time. What was that in her eyes? Was that a spark of....attraction? A amused smile crossed Luke's handsome features. "You think so?"  
  
Elise nodded. "If you have the right partner, yes...."she said, a small grin spreading across her face.   
  
Luke shook his head, a smile on his face. He glanced down at his chronometer. Only a few more hours before the unpredictable virus would become dormant and non-life threatening.   
  
Only a few more hours....................  
  
* * * * * * * * *   
  
Elise rolled over onto her side, groaning softly. Luke glanced over at the bounty huntress. Her eyes were shut tight against the pain. Sweat ran down her forehead, yet she shivered with cold. Her chest heaved in labored breaths.   
  
Luke walked over and knelt beside her bunk. He put his own coat over her in hopes of stopping her shivering. He gently touched her forehead, then recoiled. Her fever had risen since the last time he had checked.   
  
Luke nudged her, hoping that Elise would wake up.   
  
Elise gave a small whimper, then opened her eyes. Luke was startled to see that they were bright and unseeing with pain and fever. He put a cool hand to her burning forehead in hopes of bringing her out of the pained daze she was in.   
  
"Elise, you need to answer me. Can you hear me?"  
  
When all Luke got was a horrendous coughing fit as an answer, a sense of alarm began to grow in the back of his mind. Elise moaned and closed her eyes yet again. Her breathing had begun to become more and more shallow by the moment.   
  
Then, suddenly, the shallow breathing ceased.   
  
Luke's eyes widened as he felt frantically for a pulse. She couldn't die now! Not now that they were so close to getting her through this alive! Not after she had become a friend to him!   
  
Luke then began CPR and other life saving measures. A few moments later, he tried again for a pulse or some sign of life.   
  
Luke wanted to collapse to the ground with relief as he felt a pulse beneath his fingertips. Though it was weak and thready, it was there. Elise was alive.   
  
Elise's eyes fluttered open. She coughed, then drew a shaky, deep breath. "Gads...I feel awful,"she whispered.   
  
Luke nodded. "I would imagine you would feel pretty bad. You just nearly died. You gave me quite a scare,"Luke said softly.   
  
Elise froze, then looked up to meet Luke's concerned, blue eyed gaze. "It would scare you if I died? You would be sad, scared, alone? Or would you be relieved, kill my dog and take my ship for escape.....?"she inquired, her voice barely above a whisper.   
  
Luke paused, absorbing Elise's question. Could it be? Did he care for his captor, which was now his companion? He nodded. "Yes, it may sound very hard to believe, but yes, it scared me when I thought you were going to die."  
  
Elise looked into Luke's eyes and saw the truth of his words. "Thank you.."  
  
Luke arched an eyebrow. "For what? Any decent person would help you,"he said.   
  
Elise shook her head. "Not only for that.....but for showing me something. You showed me that a friend...or more than a friend...can come in strange ways."  
  
* * * * * * * * *   
  
Elise sat propped up in the bunk she had laid on sick for the past 23 hours. Her fever had gone down drastically. The horrible agony that had occupied her entire body had dulled to a small, painful ache.   
  
And she owed that, as well as the fact that she was still alive, to the man she had captured. She owed her life to the man she had once intended to turn over to his death.   
  
Now, she was not so sure of her intentions. If she did not turn Luke Skywalker over to Darth Vader, then she would eventually be hunted down and killed by the Dark Lord.   
  
If she did, she would be responsible for the death of a friend.   
  
The choice was a difficult one. Duty.....or love. Her own life.....or the innocent life of another.   
  
Elise shook her head slightly to herself. Why was this choice so difficult for her? The choice should be so easy to make, yet it was not.   
  
Elise froze. After only a few short years of hunting, had she become so desensitized and cold that she would turn the man she owed her life to over to his own death?   
  
She shook her head. Nothing was easy any more...........Nothing was so simple.   
  
* * * * * * * * *   
  
Luke's eyes flew open as he heard the loud, frantic beeping of a commlink. He had just gotten the first hours of sleep he had had in days...and it was interrupted by a commlink call.   
  
Elise slung her legs over the side of the bunk she had laid on and stood shakily, calling on every ounce of self-control she had to be able to stand without wavering as she answered the call.   
"What is your location, bounty huntress?"Darth Vader asked, not mincing for words.   
  
Elise looked over at the navicomputer. "We are between Vortex and Bilbringi,"she replied dully.   
  
Vader nodded, studying the bounty huntress. "I am accompanying my own personal Star Destroyer to meet you half way. My ship is already nearing your location. I will be at your location within the hour. The Emperor wants his prize soon, bounty huntress. Have him ready for me when I arrive."  
  
Elise's eyes widened, but she nodded. "Are you sure? We are on our way,"she said. No! It couldn't happen this way! She was not even sure if she wanted to turn Skywalker over! Vader could not come along and make the choice for her!   
  
Vader nodded again, growing impatient. "Yes, I am sure. I am sick of dealing with your scum........you are hiding something. What is it?"  
  
Elise shook her head. "I do not know what you mean, Lord Vader,"she said, feigning a confused innocence.   
  
The Dark Lord studied Elise for a few moments. "I see that your kind does not care to look presentable before their superiors,"he commented.   
  
Elise arched an eyebrow and looked down at herself. True, she was dressed in baggy clothing, but there was nothing wrong with that. Then, she noticed she was wearing Luke's coat and no shoes. Her hair was disheveled and unkempt from her illness. "This is how I dress when I feel I have nothing to worry about."  
  
Vader glared at her. "I expect you to be ready when I arrive,"he said.   
  
"Yes, Lord Vader,"she replied automatically. The Dark Lord ended the transmission without further words.   
  
Elise's knees nearly buckled upon hearing Vader's words. She walked slowly back over to the bunk and collapsed onto it.   
  
She turned to see Luke staring at her. His blue eyes held a kind of hurt that broke Elise's heart. No...she couldn't turn him in. But she had to. Her own life depended on it.   
  
"Luke, I—"she began, but her voice faded.   
  
Luke shook his head, not removing his hurt gaze from her face. After all they had been through....did it mean anything?   
  
Elise stood shakily and strode to the cockpit, unable to take the hurt look in his eyes any longer.   
  
  
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I'm sorry this chapter was so short!  
  
Hey yall...........I hope you enjoyed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
OoHoH....will Elise turn Luke in? Will Vader get his hands on Luke? Will this truly become AU?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AAH!!! SO MANY QUESTIONS!! LOL...okay, anywayz...only reading will tell.   
  
PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
Signing out for now,   
Lina Skye 


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